Total yard reseed

[gooseisland]

Folks,

I bought our house in 2007. Had an agreement that the builder would sod yard. I had several truck loads of peet black dirt hauled in and spread several inches thick. Looked great the first few years but now is looking pretty rough. I live in central mn and our main soil is composed of sand. Weeds and bare spots that I cannot seem to get regrowing. Aerated every year, fertilized, just think it was poor sod grass mix.

Fast forward to this year. I plan on tilling and reseeding. Irrigation system as well. Just would like some feedback on how I'm going about it. Our front yard is sod, back is, well, mostly weeds. I plan to kill it all with gly or roundup. Let it sit about a week. Then till at a depth of 3-5". Level and drag as smooth as possible. Within a week of tilling irrigation is scheduled. Finish grading, seed, then finish by rolling it.

Am I on the right path? Pending how our weather shapes up I will be starting on this in the next week or so. Any recommendation on a seed that is hardy and does well in sandier soils? Yard is just under .4 acre. Any other input by you lawn/yard gurus will be greatly appreciated!

[delcecchi]

I posted links somewhere on here to some extension stuff about how to choose grass seed.

Check this thread "grass seed".

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3238942/grass_seed#Post3238942

[fishersofmen]

Sod is much more difficult to maintain after 3-5 years. I have never seen a sodded lawn look better than a quality seeded lawn after a few years (based on the same circumstances). Many times they have thatch problems and fungus issues but some folks gotta have things looking pretty right away. I have done several Round-Up jobs where people want to seed just give it 24-48 hours and your good to go. You will have 2 major upgrades, a seeded lawn and irrigation. We have always had good results from a park and athletic seed.

[Tom7227]

You should consider a soil test before you get into it. You may not have to till in that far and if you till you will be introducing new weed seeds. Maybe till, let it sit for a week or two and roundup again, then seed and put down a starter fertilizer.

I would suggest that you buy a good quality seed from a local garden store or feed mill. Be sure to get a mix that will match the conditions in the area you are going to seed - shady, partial sun or full sun all require different seed.

Water it every day for a short period of time to keep things moist. I have had good luck putting a light covering of straw down to hold in moisture.

A trick I was taught was to plant some oats so that there is some shade and something to keep erosion to a minimum. If you have a steep hill area get some of the matting that they sell to keep things in place. It is a net with some excelsior matting and you lay it down, hold it in place with some staples they will sell you. Once things are going good you just mow right over it and it chops up. The oats will disappear as well and are only an annual so you don't need to worry about them either.

The guy at the feed mill in Hugo is great with all of this and I would recommend them if they are at all convenient to you.

[delcecchi]

nd another extension link on this very topic

http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/lawns/seeding-and-sodding-home-lawns/index.html

They recommend doing it in late summer.

[gooseisland]

Thanks for the links. Lots of info there. Thinking a fine fescue/bluegrass mix. I will look for park and athletic seed. The only place I plan to till deeper is where the existing sod is. The oats is a trick we would do on the farm. Mix it with alfalfa as a nurse crop. After first cutting the alfalfa would take over. Also planning to spray, till, then spray again. Thanks

[amateurfishing]

pretty much have same issue in sherburne co, lots of clay & sand. i try to reseed a little each spring but with teh kids constantly playing in the backyard, voles every winter, and lack of decent soil, its pretty much a wasted cause. Ive done "athletic grasses" blends, mixes, heat tolerant, etc. never lasts more than 3-4 years.